A House of Cards
by theedgeofthedesert
Summary: A complete AU. Logan Mars, Veronica Echolls, and Lilly and Duncan Kane are the glorious fab 4 with the envy of all at Neptune High. But tragedy strikes when Duncan supposedly commits suicide. And it's up to Logan to dig up the truth and pick up the pieces
1. The House That a Mars built

A/N: So you're going to start reading this, and well you're gonna be confused. Cause this is pretty darn AU. I don't think this has been done before...so let me explain a few things.

A lot of characters are OOC. And that's the way it's gotta be. Cause this is an alternate universe. Logan isn't an Echolls, he's a Mars. And Veronica is an Echolls, not a Mars. Their roles are switched. Lilly and Duncan switch personalities. A lot of things are different. Even I get confused.

But give this a chance. It's really different. But it's interesting for me to even come up with it. We'll see where this all goes. Gimme some feedback yall!

Disclaimer: I only own the DVDs. And maybe someday I'll own the magical XTerra.

* * *

Neptune, California wasn't a place for the weak at heart. It was probably the darkest place in California. The underbelly that they didn't want you to know about, but you did anyway. And that's what attracted people. The secrets and the scandal. In Neptune the Easter bunny was crock bull. And Santa who? 

Well, at least to Logan Mars.

He hadn't always been that way. Logan wasn't a badass but he wasn't a goody two shoes either. He was an alright kid. He HAD to be considering he was the sheriff's son. Keith Mars ruled Neptune with an iron fist. Those were the days. When his mother Lianne was the queen to his father's king. When she didn't need a shot of vodka to get through the day. When he was like the prince of the town. People respected him. Not just because of the status, but that his character demanded respect.

That's what his girlfriend Lily used to tell him anyways…

Wait..scratch that. EX girlfriend.

Lily had been his princess. The right accessory to his perfect life. She was gorgeous with a complete sweetness about her and charisma that charmed you within a millisecond. No one could hate Lily Kane. She was just that fabulous. But she was never one to admit it. Everyone told her that. Logan did everyday. And so did her brother Duncan.

Again, Logan wasn't a badass…but Duncan was. The two were best friends since the ripe age of 5. Logan helped Duncan get out of trouble with the teacher on their first day of kindergarten. And that was the complete basis of their friendship.

But it was more than that on some levels. They knew each other like books. They were brothers. They helped each other out on every detail of their lives. Logan can remember the many occasions he helped Duncan crawl out of a hole with his girlfriend Veronica…

Oh Veronica.

Veronica Echolls was probably one of the most fabulous girls you would ever meet. Her short edgy blonde hair gave her a sex appeal that no 09er could achieve. Her social status as the daughter of 2 Oscar winning actors gave her access to anything she wanted. She was into mystery. And she did anything she wanted whenever she wanted. But she loved fiercely, Logan could attest to that. The only people she was completely loyal to were Lilly, Duncan, and him. That was it.

And that was the Fab 4. The 4 people that ruled Neptune high. They were fair and true, but only to each other. No one else really mattered. They were family. They betrayed each other time and time again, but they knew that in the end forgiveness was key.

But Logan always knew that nothing gold could stay. He knew that one day that this beautiful house of cards would come tumbling down. And slowly but surely it did.

It started with Veronica.

She always had days when she was distant towards her best friends, and they respected that. They knew Veronica and they knew that with time she'd be herself again. But this time the distance grew into a gaping hole. The Veronica they knew and loved became well…a complete bitch.

She started more fights with Duncan, shut out Lilly, and out of the blue one day jumped Logan and kissed him.

She broke up with Duncan for the last time after that.

Then Lilly caught a bug of weirdness. It seemed that she herself had completely distanced herself. But only from Logan. She avoided him constantly, until one day she got Veronica to tell him she couldn't see him anymore.

He didn't come out of his room for a few days.

But that wasn't the final blow, not by a long shot.

October 3rd was the one day that Logan hated being the sheriff's kid. Because dinner with his dad at their favorite restaurant was interrupted by the local dispatch. His dad was called over to the Kane residence due to a disturbance.

Normal enough huh? Yeah right…this was Neptune.

In Neptune the normal became going over to Kane house to see your ex-girlfriend catatonic, her stone cold mother in tears, and your best friend in the whole world dead by his bed.

Logan Mars knew that his perfect life was going in flames right there.


	2. The Lies We Tell Ourselves Prequel vol 1

A/N: Ahhh thanks so much for the reviews everyone! It's appreciated. Your feedback really helps.

To clarify, the characters we all know and love will be involved in this fic. This is Veronica Mars after all, just a little different.

These next few chapters are going to deal with 3/4 of the Fab 4 (Veronica, Lilly, and Logan in that order). They'll get 2 chapters each. One dealing on their thoughts and feeling before Duncan dies, then after. It'll hopefully give you some insight on their lives. Think of them as prequel chaps.

So thanks a lot everyone! Keep the reviews coming!

* * *

Veronica Echolls had always led a fabulous, well at least in everyone else's eyes.

When she was 5 her mother told her how much of a mistake she was. Lynn Echolls of course wasn't sober at the time. Veronica couldn't remember a sober time in her mother's life.

Wait…there was that one time she told her she almost had an abortion when she was pregnant with her. She was definitely sober then.

So of course at the age of 5 Veronica thought she was a mistake. But to everyone else little Veronica was one of the luckiest kids in the world.

In some ways she was, considering her dear father didn't start touching her where he shouldn't until she was about 10. At least before then she held some sense of innocence.

He did it for 2 years. Once a week. On a Wednesday. Veronica could never sleep on Wednesdays, because she knew what was coming. But thankfully when she turned 12 it stopped. Living in LA made dad a little weird, and different. But when she was 12 she got her saving grace and they moved to Neptune.

On her 2nd day she met Logan Mars.

She was exploring the beach, content with finally getting some peace. And she saw a boy with brown hair that was almost golden in the sun. And she knew that from the warm look on his face that in the end he would be the only person she could trust. No matter what. They would become friends, and they'd stay that way forever.

But then the next day she met the hurricane force that was Duncan Kane, and the warm trust she felt from Logan was just a memory.

Veronica exuded confidence to avoid everything wrong in her life. She told everyone she knew that she was amazing at least once a day. She never thought she would meet anyone similar to herself, until Duncan came along.

Duncan knew he was the hottest thing. Even at 12 years old. He was pure trouble. And Veronica was charmed by it in a millisecond. They had an understanding. That by sticking together maybe the confidence they faked would grow into something real. That maybe together 2 broken souls could make each other whole.

But things don't work that way.

Duncan was only loyal to 3 people. Her, Lilly, and Logan. But Veronica was last on that loyalty list. Because Duncan Kane did whatever the hell he wanted. Regardless of her feelings. If he thought a girl was hot, he made it known. And if Veronica was in a particularly bad mood one week, Duncan did would he could to keep himself…"occupied".

The first time THAT happened was when they were 15. They screamed, yelled, and cried at each other for a hour straight. But it ended up that Duncan was the one to break up with her. She went on living her life for the rest of the week. She wore shorter skirts. She made more funny quips. And she tilted her head a little more when he was around.

He came crawling back in a week.

No matter who it was that cheated, Duncan always came crawling back to her. She never gave him that satisfaction. She needed to keep her dignity somehow. During their break-up periods Logan and Lilly seemed to piss her off more than usual. She loved them…to death. But they were so in love that it made her want to shoot herself.

Maybe because she knew it should have been Logan.

Even though Lilly was her best friend and Duncan was the love of her life, it was Logan that seemed to be the only constant in her life. He knew every secret. The ones that the public would die if they knew. The ones that made Veronica Echolls so unfabulous.

Keith Mars had always had a soft spot for Veronica. He loved Lilly for her goodness, and was always humored by Duncan…but Veronica. He always knew there was something there. During her off periods she frequently visited the Mars household. Lianne had a pie around just for her and Keith a good joke. Because Logan would always warn them of the off weeks.

Those were the weeks that Aaron would sit in her room while she slept. She felt him there, and she knew what he wanted. He never went for it though. He just sat there. Watching her.

So she would confide in Logan. And somehow he understood. And she knew that Keith knew. But he couldn't do anything about it. She would never let him if he tried.

Veronica wished things were different. She wished she had parents that weren't such screw-ups. That loved her enough. That they didn't feel the need to bring her down to such drastic levels.

She wished she had a boyfriend with as much confidence as her. Like Logan. She wished she had kept to her instincts and picked Logan, Lilly be damned. Because Duncan may love her, but it was never in confidence. He could never show his love for her the way Logan did for Lilly. Logan exuded true confidence. She wished she hadn't been so stupid.

She wished she could love herself. So that she have true fabulousness. Like Lilly.

But then again. Her life WAS fabulous.

These were the lies Veronica Echolls told herself.


	3. Under the Ground Prequel Vol 2

A/N: Thanks for continuing to review guys. I'm pretty excited by all of your opinions and praise haha. Keep em coming! It motivates me even more!

I feel very weird about this chapter. It DOES have very very very VERY brief LoVe interactions but of course it can't end out that way right now. I wanted to stay true somewhat to Veronica that we know but I don't think that's gonna happen that way. You can tell me straight up if this chapter is ridiculous. I think it is. But i feel like it's the only way we can justify Veronica and Logan hating each other until all the original stuff goes down (Keith "botching" the investigation...etc.). So yeah. Here it is. Chapter 3.

Oh yeah don't hate me for the end of this chapter. It's not my fault Aarons a sick bastard.

* * *

October 29, 2003

It'd been 3 weeks and 5 days since her boyfriend had died. And Veronica was going to party like it was 1999.

It's not that she didn't care. She cared more than she could say. But the facts that were starting to seep through made her numb to feel anything for Duncan.

Keith was close to ruling it a suicide.

And that wouldn't have surprised her. The note that they found on his computer saying "I want to die" made perfect sense to Veronica. Duncan did whatever the hell he wanted. And if he woke up one day and decided he wanted to die, well then he would go die.

It didn't matter that his sister had suddenly become an emotionless life form. She was catatonic most of the time.

It didn't matter that his best friend was thinking of taking the same route that he supposedly took with every passing day.

And it certainly didn't matter that the love of his life was now screwing every guy she pleased so that maybe, just maybe she could feel what she felt with him again.

Dick Casablanca's spontaneous celebration was a much need distraction for all the teenagers in Neptune. But what surprised everyone were the appearances by the remaining members of the Fab 4. They didn't arrive together. In fact, ever since Duncan's death Logan, Lilly, and Veronica hadn't even been seen together.

Veronica shimmied and danced to her heart's content in one of Duncan's favorite skirts. She took down shots like a champ, knowing this was exactly what Duncan would do.

The energy pulsing around her felt like Duncan. When he was at a party he owned the scene.

She imagined that the hands on her hips were Duncan's. The rough hard pressed feeling. She imagined the way he would dig his nails in her skin. But when she turned around she found someone not even worthy of filling Duncan's role.

It was just Dick.

She scoffed in disgust and pulled away from his grasp. The vodka was flowing in her system by now, knocking her off balance. She needed to gain her bearings before she did something stupid. She stumbled over to the living room where couches were placed just for her purpose. She passed Lilly who for once had an expression on her face. Even though it was a bored one, that didn't matter much. But who wouldn't have a bored look on their face if Casey Gant was all over her.

She didn't know why she didn't want to talk to Lilly. She was her best friend after all. Maybe it was the gnawing guilt. The guilt of kissing her boyfriend and betraying her brother. That gnawing feeling ate her alive when Duncan died. Because if he really did kill himself, it was all her fault. If only she had stayed…

Damn Logan Mars for making her love him.

'Speak of the devil' she thought. There he was, lonely on the couch, nursing a drink with many empty cups in front of him already.

She wasn't the only one drunk.

Veronica wondered what he would do if she kissed him right there. She wondered if that would make Lilly feel anything. If by kissing Logan she could somehow bring Duncan back in her system.

Never hurts to try.

She didn't say a word. With her legs at either side of his hips she made him look at the pain in her eyes before kissing him. And he responded with fervor pulling her close to him. She shifted her hips against him, making him groan against her lips.

The fire starting in her belly made her ache for Duncan even more. But Logan wasn't Duncan, not even close. Logan would never want her the way Duncan did. Because he wanted Lilly just as much as she wanted Duncan.

Damn Kanes and their charm.

She pulled away slowly from Logan, thankful for the art of breathing. She pushed him roughly away from her and walked as quickly as she could away from him. She was so sober now that it was scary. She wanted to get as far away from Logan Mars as possible. Her life was a mess now because of Logan. She hated how perfect he was for her. And that she didn't see it before. That he was the best friend she could ever have.

His voice calling out for her made her heart race and blood pump faster. She hated him more with every step she took. And she vowed to herself that she would make his life a living hell. It was irrational, and it may have been stupid but damnit...it was productive.

His hand clasping her wrist shot flames throughout her arms. She yelped in anger and hissed, "Get the hell away from me." His confusion amused her. Let him be confused.

"What the hell Veronica? This is the 2nd time you've unexpectedly jumped me…" he tried to reason.

"Yeah well I'm not in my right mind these days am I? You know what Mars stay the hell away from me. My life is a mess because of you. Because of you I broke up with Duncan and look…he's dead. Great job Logan! What a best friend you are…trying to steal your buddy's girl-"

"What the hell? You don't know what you're talking about Veronica. You're the one who kissed me. You're the one who broke up with Duncan. He didn't kill himself Veronica-"

"Shut up," she screamed at him now crying. "Yes he did! He never cared about any of us that's why! He killed himself because he couldn't stand how much I loved you damnit! He was never going to forgive me for that kiss Logan. This was his way of sticking it to me. That was his final act to shock and piss off everyone. That's what Duncan Kane did Logan don't you get it? He lived to shock people, and he died doing it too."

It was when she finally caught her breath that Veronica noticed that the Casablanca's house was in silence. And that everyone's eyes were on her. Especially Lilly's.

The look on Lilly's face was something Veronica had never seen before. And it was something she hoped she never saw again.

Her eyes fell on Logan, who was looking at her with…what was that…sympathy?

"He didn't kill himself Veronica. I don't know a lot of things right now but…that's what I know," he whispered so that only she could hear.

She wanted to believe him. And maybe she did. But everything in her life seemed more justified if Duncan committed suicide.

"Just stay away from Mars. Or I swear I'll make you regret it. I don't think you realize this, but we're not friends. I haven't hated anyone as much I hate you right now."

If there was one thing Veronica could do, she could be cruel even to her closest friends. As long as she imagined the person was Aaron or Lynn. This time she had to conjure both their images to get that statement out.

And Logan knew what that meant. His eyes widened with such pain and hurt. He got the message, and the damage was done.

Veronica looked at her watch and cursed under her breath. She missed curfew.

Without giving anyone a second glance she ran as fast as she could to her yellow X-Terra.

* * *

The Echolls mansion was eerily silent when Veronica came through the door.

That was never a good sign.

She tiptoed down the hallway and up the stairs into her bedroom, only to find her father sitting on her bed.

Just when she thought she was home free.

"Why Veronica…you're home past curfew."

"Yeah…really sorry dad. Really great party."

"It's alright," he said calmly getting up from the bed. He loomed over her small frame leering at her. "Just don't let it happen again, alright sweetheart?"

She wanted to gag when he said sweetheart.

"Yeah dad…it won't"

"Good…because then I'll have to teach you a lesson. Like last month…remember? And I know you don't want that again."

Her breath hitched when he mentioned it, and the mere memory made her eyes hazy and blurred with tears. She nodded vigorously, hoping he would just leave her alone. For once in her life.

He left the room quietly and left Veronica trembling with fear. He left her wishing she was with Duncan, under the ground.


	4. Blind Prequel Vol 3

A/N: Thanks for continuing to review guys! Your feedback really helps. This chapter is about Lilly. Which was really hard to write, but i did my best. Hope you all like!

* * *

Lilly Kane didn't complain about life very often. Because really there wasn't that much to complain about.

When she was 12 she met her best friend, the fabulous Veronica Echolls. And it was a wonder to Lilly how Veronica even came to like her. Sure she was charmed by her brother Duncan (because who wasn't) but there was more to it than that.

Either way, she didn't really care…because Lilly was glad to have a friend like Veronica.

Being with Veronica was always a distraction. It distracted Lilly from all the important things in life. Like studying to go to Vassar on the East Coast. Because that's what her parents wanted. But her parents were smart people. So she supposed that going to Vassar wasn't that bad of an idea.

At first they wanted her to go to Stanford, but then when she was 14 and kissed Logan Mars and became his girlfriend, Vassar was bright beautiful light in her life.

Her parents weren't particularly fond of Logan. Well mostly her mother. It was a mutual dislike.

In fact not that many people liked her mother. Sure she was cold, and cruel at times, but in the end she really wasn't that bad. The only person she was actually nice to was Lilly…and her dad…sometimes.

She couldn't stand Duncan most of the time. Duncan couldn't stand her all the time.

But Lilly didn't think about things like that when she was with Veronica. She would never let her. It was appreciated.

Lilly didn't complain about many things because she was too distracted most of the time. When you had a brother like Duncan and a best friend like Veronica, you were pretty blind to the big things.

Together Duncan and Veronica shielded her from the big bad things occurring around her. She knew the two of them weren't the most innocent people in the world, but she didn't know how far that statement went. And they would never tell her. She would never know. At least not from them.

And that suited her boyfriend just fine.

She remembered the first time Logan kissed her, when they were 14. They'd danced around each other for 2 years, with shy glances and blushing. But Logan had finally gotten some guts and asked Lilly to go get some ice cream one day.

When he kissed her, he tasted like vanilla bean. And it was sweet, full of promise, and hope. And Lilly wanted to stay like that forever.

That was her and Logan in a nutshell. He was the perfect gentleman. He never pressured her into anything she didn't want to do. Not that he ever tried anything anyways.

Then one day she came home from school. And it was like any other day. Well Veronica had been having one of her funky weeks so she just dropped Lilly right off after school.

And her mother was home of course. Going over the guest list for some party that they were hosting next week. There were always changes to be made. People to add…and to take out. Its how life worked.

They made pleasant conversation. Talked about her day at school. Discussed how well she had done on the Spanish test she had that day. And then there was a bit of silence. Lilly decided to make herself a little snack. Maybe have some Oreos and milk, then call Logan after that. It really was a normal day.

Then her mother dropped a bomb.

"Lilly…Logan Mars is your brother."

The glass drops and Lilly's eyes widen.

She didn't doubt it for a second.

Because Celeste Kane wasn't the type of person to joke around. Celeste never made jokes. When she spoke, everything that came out of her mouth was pure, unadulterated truth.

And suddenly she blacks out. And when she wakes up she's on her bed and Duncan is there with her pills and her water. And a black eye. When she blacked out, she had a mean right hook.

Damn. She knew she forgot something this morning.

He didn't say a thing. He gave her the pills and sat there staring at her. She hated it when Duncan did that. He saw right through her that way.

"She's probably lying you know…nothing to worry about. She hates Logan anyways."

Of course HE would say that. Of course he would have doubts. It wasn't him who'd been dating his sibling for about 2 years.

Duncan never believed anything Celeste said.

"Don't ruin it Lilly. Don't break up with him. Because knowing you you'll be too afraid to even do it. You'll make Veronica do it. And if you do it Lilly…you'll ruin him. He really loves you. If he had the money to make you happy and if it wasn't illegal you two would be married right now. And I know how you feel about him too. It's impossible for you two to be siblings with the feelings you for each other. It just doesn't happen."

He continued to reason with her for another 15 minutes, and she continued to say nothing. The next day she began avoiding Logan completely. 5 days after that Veronica broke up with him for her.

It's just the way it was for Lilly Kane. She always did the right thing. She was noble. And you could never actually hate her for anything she did.

Breaking up with Logan WAS the smartest thing to do. Because Lilly Kane could not be caught dating her brother of all people. It just wasn't something she could handle.

And when Lilly couldn't handle something, she stepped aside.

The pain she felt every night would subside soon enough. She became withdrawn and depressed. So right away Celeste put her on anti-depressants.

And soon she felt nothing. Emotion was a foreign word. And even though everything around her was turning into chaos Lilly Kane was completely blind.

And she didn't complain.


	5. Exile into Oblivion Prequel Vol 4

A/N: I've been bad. And i haven't updated in awhile. I apologize! But thanks for all the feedback. It really motivates me and helps. I've just been ridiculously busy this week with my birthday and all. So yeah. Here's the 5th chapter! Enjoy! And review please!!!

* * *

October 29, 2003

Lilly lived most of her life in the shadows. The shadows of the other members of the Fab 4. It wasn't very surprising. The 3 of them had something defining about their personality. But she was so ordinary, and regular. People liked her, but when she wasn't with her best friends she had to work to be noticed. She could charm people with her smile, but she had to get their attention first.

Duncan was an all around good time. You couldn't help but laugh and smile when you were around him.

Logan was witty. He always had a funny smart remark. Watching him, Veronica, and Duncan argue and discuss was like dinner theater for everyone in the quad.

And Veronica was just so…beautiful. Her style and manner were so unique that even on her worst days she was absolutely stunning. A room could be captivated by her looks before they were hit with her personality.

So when Lilly walked into Dick Casablanca's party a few weeks after her brother died, she was surprised at how much people noticed her. And then she was surprised at two other things.

That she could even feel any emotion at all. She couldn't remember when was the last time that happened. Then again she couldn't even remember if she took her pill this morning. She probably didn't.

That she now had her own defining quality. She was now the sister of a boy who committed suicide.

That made her more special than anything else. So she would play it up for now. Duncan would have if she had done it. So why not? Lilly had to do something. Because tomorrow Celeste would hound her about her pill. And she would go back to not feeling anything at all.

Duncan would simply kill her if he saw the mess Neptune was in without him.

She hadn't talked to Veronica since even before Duncan died. The last time she remembers having a conversation with her best friend was when she asked her to formally break up with her boyfriend. Then, they just avoided each other. Too much pain, too many memories, too many things that they could say to each other that weren't nice at all.

Lilly knows that if Duncan did commit suicide, Veronica had to play a part in it. Because the day they broke up Duncan was unrecognizable. And while he was usually a little down sometimes when they broke up, this time was different. Something was off. Something wasn't right with him.

And then he was gone.

But now here she was, at his party. And here was Casey Gant talking about complete nonsense with her as she listened in and out. Who cared about his Porsche? Her brother was dead…

Stop thinking Lilly. Just stop.

She distracts herself by looking at her surroundings. And she looks upon Logan. And then it hurts to breathe.

He's drowning himself in vodka, and Lilly knows how bad he's gotten. He always said he didn't want to touch alcohol that much. That his mother was falling in too deep and he didn't want to follow her. Yet here he was, with shot glasses in front of him, keeled over.

This wasn't how life was supposed to go.

And there is Veronica, the life of the party as usual. And Lilly sees Dick leering at her and trying to make a move. But Veronica knows better…even when she's drunk.

She turns back to Casey and listens to him drabble. And she feels his hands on her waist and she's trying to find a reason to stop him, but she can't. She remembers how Logan used to feel when he touched her. The warm safe feeling that she got. But this doesn't feel natural at all.

So she distracts herself again.

She looks around for Veronica but doesn't see her right away. Tired of searching she sets her sights on Logan again.

She also finds Veronica.

And she's on top him. And he's holding on to her so tightly. And they look like they've done this before…

What the hell?

And before she can put more thought into it, the stolen moment is over and Veronica is running away. And Logan is frantic and confused and suddenly looking a little more sober. And Lilly can't understand what the hell is going on…

But the chase isn't over and Logan catches up. And they're arguing. And from what they're saying that wasn't the first time they kissed. And it wasn't a long time ago either…

It was right before Duncan died.

And the pieces sort of fit. Veronica kisses Logan and breaks up with Duncan. Duncan isn't stupid. But Veronica is sometimes, and she probably told him. Lilly didn't think her best friend could be so cruel sometimes.

And then Duncan was gone. And now suicide seems to be the most logical explanation for everything going on in her life.

But of course they continue arguing. And bitter words are thrown, and conspiracy theories are suggested. Logan doesn't think Duncan killed himself. So why he is getting drunk? Why the hell is he so depressed?

But Veronica's yelling and professing her guilt. And her love for Logan. And suddenly Lilly hates her best friend. She can't stand the sight of her. And when they lock eyes Veronica knows it.

But they'll be talking next week. It's how they get by.

But Veronica hates Logan just as much as Lilly hates her. And the devastation on Logan's face from Veronica's harsh words answers so many unanswered questions for her. And suddenly, the possibility of being his sister doesn't hurt so much. Because it justifies him loving Veronica maybe even more than her.

Why is she kidding herself? It hurts. And it hurts badly.

So she distracts herself. And she's kissing Casey and everything's hazy. It's not even that great of a kiss. But it's a distraction. And that's what Lilly does when the going gets tough.

And before she knows it they're in a guest bedroom and Lilly can't remember the rest. And she wishes she had taken her pill this morning. So that she won't feel all these emotions spilling out of her.

She'll remember tomorrow. And she'll be exiled into oblivion once again.


	6. The Crash Prequel Vol 5

A/N: Ahhh life has been pretty ridiculous lately. I'm really glad to be putting out a chapter here. This one is a little different than most. It's pretty much a series of flashbacks. Lots of LoVe in this chapter. Which is lovely to me. Anyways REVIEW! Because it encourages me. And yeah. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

August 3rd 1999

The beach was perfectly quiet that day. And the sunset was glowing pink and orange in the sky. Logan Mars felt perfectly content in that moment. Having a day of perfect waves, and surfing by himself. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Life had been a little chaotic lately. Well, being 12 years old WAS chaotic. Especially when your best friend was Duncan Kane. Duncan had been getting himself into more trouble these days. And of course he was dragging Logan along for the ride. And then there was the task of getting Lilly's attention. He didn't even know how he would succeed in that…but he was putting out a good effort. If it weren't for Celeste micromanaging her schedule, they would be spending a lot more time together…

But no matter. His day would come. For now he would wait.

A slight shadow was cast upon him in that moment and Logan looked up and saw a small girl he'd never seen before.

She had golden blonde hair that went down to her shoulders. She was small. And she had a scowl on her face.

He wanted to make her smile. There was something so wrong with her.

"Hi…I'm Logan. Logan Mars. Are you new here?

"Yes," the girl mumbled. She looked around nervously as if she wanted to run far far away.

"Well do you have a name?"

"Veronica Echolls."

She was a champion mumbler. And her parents were Oscar winning actors. That doesn't make much sense.

He stood up from his comfortable spot on the sand and reached out to shake her hand.

"Welcome to Neptune."

She looked at him with wary eyes. But grasped his hand with her own. And the electric shock that bore through them put a slight smile on both their faces.

"Thanks. It's really nice to meet you too."

They spent the rest of that night together, talking and laughing. Logan told her all about Neptune. Veronica listened with excitement and interest. And she told him funny little tales from her life back in LA.

And he brought her home with him, to meet his parents. And the Mars family welcomed her with open arms. His mother fussed over her gushing over how cute she was. And his dad gave her a warm smile and cracked a joke with her.

The next day he took her to the ice cream shop, fully convinced that maybe being Lilly Kane wasn't the road map for his life after all. One night with Veronica Echolls changed his perspective on everything.

But they walked into the ice cream shop. And there was Duncan. Fresh off his latest grounding and was sitting with Dick Casablancas and Shelly Pomroy. He looked up from Dick's ramblings and saw his best friend. He gave him a holler and a wave and Veronica raised her eyebrows at him.

"Who is that?" she asked with odd interest.

"Um…that's my friend Duncan…Duncan Kane." He mumbled. When did he turn into a mumbler?

"Ah…interesting…let's go say hi huh?" she replied with enthusiasm, not noticing how uncomfortable he was.

She walked ahead of him to Duncan's table. And as she did, Logan knew he already lost.

He would have to try harder with Lilly.

* * *

September 13, 2003

"Veronica? Yo Echolls are you here?" Logan asked as he walked into his friend's pool house.

He looked around and didn't see her anywhere. Typical Veronica. Calling him over and not being around to greet him. No matter. He would wait.

He lied down on the bed and closed his eyes to relax. It had already been a long day. He almost had to bail DK out of another jam. As always. It really was hard being Duncan Kane's best friend.

And mom was passed out when he got home from school. Which was odd. Considering his mother had more energy than a radioactive power plant. So he carried her upstairs and tucked her in.

Logan felt the weight on the bed shift and opened his eyes. And there was Veronica. Kneeling on the bed in a bright blue bikini that didn't leave much to the imagination.

It was secretly his favorite…but he never told anyone that. The keyword was secret.

She had a glint in her eyes that he had only ever seen her give Duncan. She crawled over to him and straddled him, her knees on each side of his legs. Logan gaped at her and stumbled his words in shock.

"R-ronnie…what are you doing?"

She smiled at him. "Something I should have done a long time ago."

She leaned down and their mouths touched. And fire ran through him and he responded to her kiss. It was a battle of lips and hands that resulted with Logan without his shirt and Veronica topless and underneath him.

The feel of her skin against his finally brought him to reality and gasped at the situation.

"Oh my God…Veronica. Oh God we have to stop."

She moaned at his words and didn't stop. She kept nipping at his earlobe and that spot on his neck. Her hands trailed down to his belt buckle. And this was officially going too far.

Logan pulled himself away from her reached blindly for his shirt. He spotted Veronica's bikini top and threw it at her, hoping she would at least put it on. He grabbed the keys to his LeBaron on the counter and headed for the door. And when he turned the door knob he heard Veronica quietly sobbing. And he felt like a rock would be lodged in his throat forever.

He spoke without looking at her. His head hung in quiet frustration.

"God Ronnie…why now? You had me so long ago but just…why now? You have Duncan and I have Lilly and just…"

He didn't finish his thought. And walked out the door, blocking out her cries.

* * *

September 20, 2003

Something weird was going on. And it had been going on for the past 5 days.

After his tryst with Veronica, Logan was determined to put all of his time and energy into being with Lilly. He was fully and completely committed to her. All his feelings for Veronica, forget that. Why risk all of that when he had a beautiful girlfriend that was already in love with him?

He walked into school, heading to Lilly's locker to walk her to homeroom, when he found that he didn't even care he was in her presence. She merely glanced at him, alarmed, and ran away from him.

And he hadn't talked to her since.

Duncan didn't know what was going on, he was too preoccupied.

He and Veronica had broken up…again. But apparently this was the last time. And Duncan was completely crushed. But Logan didn't let on about the situation. Because he knew why his friend's heart was broken.

The guilt gnawed at him.

But nonetheless, Duncan wasn't very sympathetic to Logan's demise anyway.

Today though, when Logan arrived at his locker, it was Veronica standing there. Not Duncan…and not Lilly.

She looked more weighed down than usual. Her usually spunky hair looked flat, and her eyes were worn and tired.

She hadn't been sleeping. Aaron was playing his tricks again.

He reached his locker, giving Veronica a small smile.

"We have to talk Logan…about Lilly," she said suddenly. She sounded nervous as hell.

He froze at the sound of Lilly's name.

"What about Lilly?" he asked harshly. "You said something to her about the other day didn't you? That's why she's avoiding me…"

"I swear to you I didn't," she hissed. "I don't know why exactly she's avoiding you. But she sent me to talk to you. Logan…she says she can't see you anymore."

Logan dropped his book in shock.

Lilly was breaking up with him? And through Veronica of all people?

He blinked back the tears that wanted to come so badly. Why did he have to be such a girl about these damn things? And why did Veronica have to look so sympathetic?

"I'm really sorry Logan. I really am. I don't know why she's doing this," Veronica whispered softly.

His mind was spinning and reeling. Why was this happening?

"I…I have to go," he choked out.

He quickly walked away from his locker, not even bothering to close it, and hurried out the front doors.


End file.
